Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Dolphins re-sign OG Ray Feinga, LB Chris McCoy to practice squad

The Miami Dolphins have brought back two familiar faces, re-signing guard Ray Feinga and linebacker Chris McCoy to the practice squad.

McCoy takes the spot of safety Jonathon Amaya, who was promoted to the active roster before last Sunday's game. Feinga replaced offensive lineman Andrew Hartline, who was released from the practice squad Tuesday.

Feinga, who was released on Oct. 4, re-joins the Dolphins after serving a four-game suspension for an undisclosed violation of league policy.

Drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round of April's draft out of Middle Tennessee State, McCoy returns after spending part of October on the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad.

Ray Feinga

A two-time all-conference selection at BYU, the 6-foot-4, 337-pound Feinga signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent following the 2009 NFL Draft, but was waived before training camp on July 1.

After being picked up by the San Diego Chargers in early August, Feinga appeared in two preseason games as a reserve before being waived during final cuts.

Feinga was signed to the Dolphins' practice squad in late December and remained there through the end of the regular season. He was re-signed to a future contract in January.

After being injured in a minor car crash on the first day of training camp, Feinga was waived by the Dolphins. He was brought back shortly thereafter and appeared in the team's first two preseason games before breaking his finger.

Feinga was waived during final cuts on Sept. 4 and re-signed to the practice squad after clearing waivers. He was promoted to the active roster on Sept. 30, but waived before the team's next game in favor of linebacker Austin Spitler.

With his four-game suspension announced shortly after his release, Feinga served his time as a free agent. He should resume wearing No. 69 and working at guard for the Dolphins.

Chris McCoy

McCoy as named the Sun Belt Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year during his senior season at Middle Tennessee State in 2009, leading the conference with 20 tackles for a loss while adding 64 total tackles, a career-high seven sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a blocked kick.

After being drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft, McCoy signed a four-year deal on June 15 to become the first of the team's draft picks to get under contract.

McCoy appeared in four games during the preseason, recording one tackle. He was waived during final cuts and re-signed to the practice squad on Sept. 6, but released once again two days alter.

After working out for the Kansas City Chiefs in October, McCoy spent a few weeks on the Chiefs' practice squad before being released on Oct. 27.

McCoy should resume wearing No. 48 and will likely work at weak outside linebacker behind Cameron Wake and Quentin Moses.

Analysis

There are still no specifics on what Feinga did to get suspended, although it obviously wasn't something the Dolphins cared about enough to not bring him back as soon as his ban was over.

Feinga has had a pretty eventful few months, staying on the Dolphins' radar despite a handful of releases, a minor injury from a car accident on the first day of training camp, and this latest suspension.

He's a solid interior lineman project, and is obviously someone the Dolphins feel has some upside. The interior line has been pretty sub-par this season, and it's not entirely impossible that Feinga could challenge Richie Incognito for playing time at right guard at some point.

As for McCoy, it's pretty telling that he was let go from his drafting team's practice squad after just a few days and sitting on the open market for nearly six weeks.

It also can't be that good that McCoy was released from the Seahawks' practice squad, although he was likely focusing more at defensive end in the 4-3 scheme after spending all his time with the Dolphins as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

I consider his re-signing a brief audition to see if he's made any progress in his development since the Dolphins last saw him, but I don't think they'd hesitate to cut him loose again if he doesn't impress.

As always, check out the updated projected depth chart reflecting these transactions here.